====== WordGrinder ======

A terminal word processor for longform writing: [[https://github.com/davidgiven/wordgrinder|davidgiven/wordgrinder]]. Not a text editor: a character-cell word processor that handles words, not characters.

===== What It Is =====

Designed for writing prose without distractions. It is a word processor, not Word and not vim.

  * Prose-oriented: word count tracking, paragraph styles (headings, body, quotes)
  * Distraction-free, menu-driven interface: no keybindings to memorize
  * Exports to HTML, Markdown, and plain text
  * Single-file documents (''.wg'')

Best for novels, memoirs, academic papers: anything where word count and paragraph styles matter more than code.

===== Basics =====

<code bash>
wordgrinder draft.wg        # create or open a document
</code>

  * ''Esc'' opens the menu (like classic DOS word processors)
  * Documents are sets of styled paragraphs, not free-form text
  * Built-in spell check, undo, find/replace

===== Install =====

Not in most distro repos; build from source:

<code bash>
sudo apt install build-essential lua5.3 liblua5.3-dev libncurses-dev
git clone https://github.com/davidgiven/wordgrinder.git
cd wordgrinder && make && sudo make install
</code>

===== See Also =====

  * [[guides:writerdeck|Building a WriterDeck]]
  * [[terminal:editors:micro|Micro]]
  * [[terminal:tools:start|CLI Tools]]
  * [[terminal:start|Return to terminal]]
  * [[start|Return to wiki home]]